A FICO® Score of 610 places you within a population of consumers whose credit may be seen as Fair. Your 610 FICO® Score is lower than the average U.S. credit score. Statistically speaking, 28% of consumers with credit scores in the Fair range are likely to become seriously delinquent in the future.
The most common type of loan available to borrowers with a 610 credit score is an FHA loan. FHA loans only require that you have a 500 credit score, so with a 610 FICO, you will definitely meet the credit score requirements.
The minimum credit score to qualify for a personal loan is typically 610 to 640, according to an anonymized dataset of NerdWallet users who pre-qualified for personal loans. A high credit score doesn't guarantee you'll qualify or get a low interest rate.
It's still possible to secure a loan with a 610 credit score, but most lenders will offer higher interest rates—around 8%—and a longer loan term, which means you'll end up paying more in interest than those with shorter loan repayment periods.
The credit scores and reports you see on Credit Karma should accurately reflect your credit information as reported by those bureaus. This means a couple of things: The scores we provide are actual credit scores pulled from two of the major consumer credit bureaus, not just estimates of your credit rating.
You will likely need a credit score of at least 580 to get a $1,000 personal loan. Most lenders that offer personal loans of $1,000 or more require bad credit or better for approval, along with enough income to afford the monthly payments.
The average credit score in the United States is 698, based on VantageScore® data from February 2021. It's a myth that you only have one credit score. In fact, you have many credit scores. It's a good idea to check your credit scores regularly.
FICO credit scores, the industry standard for sizing up credit risk, range from 300 to a perfect 850—with 670 to 739 labeled “good,” 740-799 “very good” and 800 to 850 “exceptional.” A 700 score places you right in the middle of the good range, but still slightly below the average credit score of 711.
Your score falls within the range of scores, from 670 to 739, which are considered Good. The average U.S. FICO® Score, 711, falls within the Good range.
In general, lenders look for borrowers in the prime range or better, so you will need a score of 661 or higher to qualify for most conventional car loans.
A FICO score of 650 is considered fair—better than poor, but less than good. It falls below the national average FICO® Score of 710, and solidly within the fair score range of 580 to 669.
Our Credit Monitor service uses credit information from TransUnion, where scores range from 0 to 710 and a very good score would be anything from 604 and above.
A FICO® Score of 670 falls within a span of scores, from 670 to 739, that are categorized as Good. The average U.S. FICO® Score, 711, falls within the Good range.
FHA loans are intended for people with lower credit; they allow a minimum credit score between 500 and 580. If your FICO score is below 580, you'll need a 10% down payment. If it's above 580, you only need to put 3.5% down.
A conventional loan requires a credit score of at least 620, but it's ideal to have a score of 740 or above, which could allow you to make a lower down payment, get a more attractive interest rate and save on private mortgage insurance.
You don't need sparkling credit scores.
FICO® Scores☉ of at least 640 or so are typically all that are needed to qualify for first-time homebuyer assistance. FICO® Scores range from 300 to 850. But chances are you may need higher credit scores of around 680 or so to qualify for a conventional mortgage.
It's Best to Pay Your Credit Card Balance in Full Each Month
Leaving a balance will not help your credit scores—it will just cost you money in the form of interest. Carrying a high balance on your credit cards has a negative impact on scores because it increases your credit utilization ratio.
The average consumer saw their FICO Score 8 increase by 12 points using Experian Boost, according to Experian. When it comes to getting your rent reported, some RentReporters customers have seen their credit scores improve by 35 to 50 points in as few as 10 days, according to the company.
FICO considers a credit score to be poor if it falls below 580. According to FICO, a person with a FICO score in that range is viewed as a credit risk.
Our Verdict: Credit Karma has better credit monitoring and more features, but Experian actually gives you your “real” credit score. Plus it offers the wonderful Experian Boost tool. Since they're both free, it's worth it to get both of them.
Credit Karma touts that it will always be free to the consumers who use its website or mobile app. But how accurate is Credit Karma? In some cases, as seen in an example below, Credit Karma may be off by 20 to 25 points.